By IndiaTomorrow.net,
Ahmedabad, 07 May 2015: Several eminent members of the Gujarat law fraternity have expressed serious concern on the new anti-terror law passed by the state assembly in March this year.
S.H. Aiyer, a senior counsel of the Gujarat High Court said that clubbing the Terrorism and Economic Crimes was completely misplaced and unjustified. Speaking at an event organized by a Gujarati monthly Yuva Saathi, mouthpiece of a Muslim students outfit, Adv. Aiyer said that the existing laws were adequate to address the crimes presented in the Bill. He also expressed his apprehension on how this proposed law had the intentions of quashing anti-establishment voices and ushering the Police Raj.
The Legislative Assembly of Gujarat passed the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill on 31st March 2015 which is now awaiting an approval from the President of the India.
Advocate Shamshad Pathan of the Jan Sangarsh Manch termed the proposed law “as a draconian one which completely disregarded the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedures).” He also pointed out three major objections in the proposed law. He opined that establishing admission to Police Officer as an evidence to an offence was a risky proposition considering the record of police force which has been proven guilty in fake encounters in the past. He also objected to the provisions which would enable the establishment to intercept the telephonic and electronic communications of the individuals thus compromising the privacy of the individuals. Further, he felt that the provision for extending the inquiry period from 90 days to 180 days for preparing a charge sheet was akin to shielding the Police Department of their inefficiencies.
Advocate L.R. Pathan of the Gujarat High Court opined that stronger laws were also welcome if they were to be applied against the real culprits but they can be extremely dangerous when they are used for witch hunting of a certain community and the underprivileged and the marginalized sections of the society.
Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, the National Secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) recalled the freedom struggle against the Imperialist Britishers and opined that the Ruling Class is now playing the role of the Britishers by explicitly following their urge of suppressing their citizens. He also expressed that the rulers who are unable to dispense justice resort to means of controlling the dissenting voices by framing stringent laws.
